Count on Me
by NarcissisticRiceBall
Summary: Centered around the doubles pair, Shishido and Ootori. There will be appearances by the other members of Hyoutei and even some from Seigaku, like the Golden Pair. Just a simple fluff or whatever, about friendship and the meaning of reliability.
1. Where are You?

**Author's Note:** Okay, this is my second fanfiction that I have posted now. I'm still getting used to it so when reading, ignore any stupidity you find. Anyways, this is a short fic about the adorable doubles team, Shishido and Ootori. I'm not sure where this is going since I only have a tentative plot. Anyways, there is no shounen-ai or anything. Although at this point I'm pretty sure there is a really loose translation to that so take it as you will. I write this solely because this doubles team needs more love. Also because Ootori is so cute and adorable. Well, read and review how you like and enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of these characters. They belong to Takeshi Konami and whoever else holds copyrights over them.

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Count on Me

_Reliable…Dependable…Trustworthy…Unfailing…_

Choutarou Ootori quickly jotted down the few words in his notebook as the teacher ended class.

"Remember, class, your assignment is to take your phrase, come up with related words and then write about a person who fits the description. That's all."

Choutarou sighed at his assignment. He had no idea who he would write about. Writing about his family or pet or anything like that seemed so dull and overused even if it was true.

"_At least it's not due for a little while."_

The second year student gathered his notebooks and pencils, placing them neatly in his backpack. He hurried out of the room with the rest of the students and walked down the hallways towards the tennis courts. Choutarou smiled.

"_I wonder if Shishido-san has any ideas?"_

Playing tennis on the team was the best way for him to relax. Tennis pretty much solved everything. Along with tennis, Choutarou enjoyed the company of his double's partner, Ryou Shishido.

After changing and getting out onto the tennis courts, Choutarou noticed that his doubles partner was nowhere to be found. He walked up to the current captain of Hyoutei, Keigo Atobe.

"Atobe-san? Anou…Where is Shishido-san?"

The captain looked at Choutarou. With a quick flip of his hair, he answered,

"Don't know…Unless he's dying or dead, he better show up or he'll learn the meaning of pain from Ore-sama."

"Okay. Thank you, Atobe-san."

"Of course. Oh, and if you see him before I do, tell him he better have a good reason for skipping out on practice. Ore-sama does not like to be kept waiting."

"Yes, I'll tell him." Choutarou smiled at the captain. It never ceased to amuse him that the tennis captain can be such a queen of the court. However, Choutarou enjoyed Keigo's presence and his somewhat odd, narcissistic behavior.

Looking at a couple courts across from him, he spotted the other doubles pair at work…or play as far as he could tell.

Gakuto Mukahi and Oshitari Yuushi were one of the best doubles players out there. Choutarou smiled when he got closer.

"Hey, Yuushi, wouldn't that be so cool?" Gakuto was practically jumping up and down and all around his doubles partner.

"Yes, until gravity takes over and then you succumb to the laws of physics which only results in you getting shorter."

Choutarou watched as the smaller of the two latched onto the other's arm and began to shake him. The taller one sighed and shifted the glasses that were falling down his face due to the sudden movements.

"I'm just telling you the truth…Now…Please let go Gakuto!"

"Huh? Hey, Ootori, what do you think? Wouldn't it be neat if I did the Moon Salute but then I switch directions like that annoying guy, Eiji, then-"

"I'm sure it would be a great move…If anybody can do it, it would have to be you."

Choutarou chose his words carefully. Gakuto had a tendency to take things the wrong way and then get upset over them. The only way to placate him was to somehow work in a compliment.

"Hm, see, Yuushi? Ootori says that it would be a cool trick."

Yuushi sighed once again at his partner. He ran his hand through his hair in a frustrated manner.

"I never said it wouldn't be cool, I'm just saying that from a scientific point of view, what you're saying is not physically possible…so long as the laws of physics don't change anytime soon…"

The duo had all forgotten that Choutarou was still present. He did not mind though since he had no idea what was going on anyways.

"_Hmm, those two must be good friends."_ Choutarou chuckled as he listened to the two argue some more. _"They say the more you fight, the better friends you are."_ He continued to look around as he waited for his partner to arrive. _"They're reliable…Well, to each other though…no… so that won't work."_

He looked around some more. All around there were a multitude of students gathering on the tennis courts. It was still overwhelming to be part of a 200-member team. The tennis coach, Tarou Sakaki, soon arrived to start the practice.

"Atobe, lead the regulars in the normal routine, then have them practice against each other. The rest of the members go to the backcourts for drills. You may go!"

Everybody did as they were told, especially the non-regulars. Their tennis coach was one of the most imposing figures. When he said to do something, there was no questioning him. He ran a tight schedule and expected 110 out of everybody. Sakaki also trusted Keigo implicitly. The captain was often put in charge of the regulars while their coach instilled discipline and fear into the hearts of the others.

"Stretch out and then run 15 laps. And nobody better lag behind."

After Keigo issued his orders, all the team members began stretching. Choutarou smiled as he listened to the groans in response to the running. He listened in as one of the most skilled, but also lazy members ask Keigo.

"Wha…Bleh, I hate running…Can't we just skip to the tennis part?"

"No. Besides, the tennis will get you to wake up for tennis." Keigo responded.

"But it won't! It'll just make me more tired and then I won't be able to play."

"You never have a problem when it comes to playing tennis."

"Not true, I won't be able to do my best if I'm tired!"

Choutarou continued to stretch, then lined up at the court entrance to start his laps. As he was waiting for the signal to go, he glanced around again.

_"Still not here…Shishido-san is going to be in trouble with Atobe-san if he doesn't show up soon."_

"Jiroh, whether you run or not will not make a difference when you practice. You're practicing against me today, remember?"

"What? Really? Alright, let's go!" The now energetic Jiroh was already off and running before Keigo even told them to start.

"Okay…Everybody, GO!"

Soon everybody was sprinting off the line chasing after the volley specialist. As he was running, Choutarou kept looking around for the missing Shishido.

After finishing their laps, the members took a moment to cool down and get a drink.

"Okay! Let's play now!" Jiroh was pestering Keigo off to the side. The captain just sighed and attempted to ignore him as best he could.

"Alright."

"Yay!"

"…Today we'll do practice matches against each other. Obviously, I play Jiroh. Kabaji and Hiyoshi will play while the respective double teams will play each other."

"Hey, Yuushi, I'm going to show you how wrong you are!" Gakuto energetically grabbed his racquet and ran to one of the courts.

"Are you still on that?" He ended up talking to air as his partner was already on the court.

"_Why isn't he here yet? Did something happen?"_

Choutarou walked over to Keigo to ask what he should do since his doubles partner was missing. Keigo had to pry Jiroh off his arm so he could stop and talk.

"Atobe-san, what should I do?"

"Hmm, still not here…Alright, you start and practice your serve. If he still isn't here by the time you've finished your serve, just keep playing."

"Oh, okay, Atobe-san." Choutarou was excited to practice his serving some more, but was still disappointed that Shishido was not present.

"Hey, Ootori, where's Shishido?" Gakuto finally realized that the other member was not present.

"I don't really know. But Atobe-san said I serve first." He smiled sweetly as both Gakuto and Yuushi grimaced at the thought of returning his serve.

The three tennis players got in their respective positions and began playing.

"Ikyuu…Nyuu…Kon!" Choutarou whispered his mantra and then put his full effort into the serve.

Yuushi attempted to return the serve but only managed to graze the ball. He sighed at his efforts. Even though he tried, there was a part of him that did not want to actually make contact with the ball.

"15-0!" Choutarou called out the score as he prepared another serve.

Gakuto was in the unfortunate position of returning. Due to his quick reflexes, he was able to reach the ball; however, the sheer power of it caused his racquet to fly out of his hand.

"This is why I don't like it when he serves." He complained to Yuushi as he went over to pick up his racquet. Yuushi only sighed at his friend's blatantly obvious statement and set himself on the right end of the service area.

"30-0!" Choutarou noticed that his opponent was standing off to the right leaving an opening.

_"So they're going to try and use that too? No matter, I know how to deal with it now."_

"Ikyuu…Nyuu…Kon!" In a single fluid movement, the ball was immediately over the net and against the court fencing.

"Anou, Yuushi, you knew that it doesn't work anymore."

Yuushi absently blew a few loose strands of hair.

"I know, but it was worth a try. It's not like we're taking his service game."

"Right…Sure why not?" Gakuto positioned himself towards the right side of the service area as well.

"40-0!" Just as easily as the first, his serve ended up in the service box and at the back of the court in a short matter of time. Once again, Gakuto managed to get near the ball, but managed to barely skim the ball.

"Yeah, well, that was pointless. His serve just gets better." Gakuto continued to complain to Yuushi as they switched courts.

_"I don't have to worry about my serve anymore. I can do it perfectly pretty much every time…I wish Shishido-san was here. It's because of him that I can do it now…"_

"0-1, 0-0!" Choutarou concentrated back on the game as Yuushi was preparing to serve. He knew that after he returned the serve, Gakuto would be right there to volley it back. He had to make sure he returned to the far right end of the court.

Yuushi served the ball and Choutarou swung his racquet. He managed to hit the ball back and to the right as well, however, Gakuto was already one step ahead and waiting at the right side of the court. Choutarou ran to the other end of the court. He was barely able to tap the side of the ball before falling down.

"Hey, you okay, Ootori?" Gakuto asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." He stood up and brushed the dirt off his shirt and moved to the returning position. Waiting for the serve, Choutarou began to regret having to play two-on-one.

_"This is so much harder…Impossible…My only chance of getting anywhere is with my service game…It's so much easier to do everything when Shishido-san is here…"_

Just as he said, the match was truly predictable and unexciting. Choutarou took all his service games while Yuushi and Gakuto kept theirs. He began to wonder if Keigo would stop them before they went any further.

When the score was 5 games all, Keigo came over to see how things turned out.

"5 all, huh? Good. You all can go now. Oh, and Ootori, keep practicing. It's nearly perfect, but not quite." Keigo smirked at the last part of his comment.

"Yes, thank you Atobe-san." Choutarou smiled at the compliment his captain gave him. To most others, that would not be considered a compliment. However, when dealing with Keigo Atobe, captain of the tennis team, this was a great honor. It was especially so with Choutarou. Keigo and he did not talk often nor did he give that much attention to him. So, when he took the time to actually comment on his tennis skills, it was uplifting for him.

_"It is kind of foolish for me to be happy over that comment, but Atobe-san rarely talks to me let alone compliments me…even if it is in an odd way…but that's how he is…Shishido-san would make fun of me right now…if he were here…"_

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**Author's Note: **Yes, Ootori thinks to himsef a lot, but don't we all? Anywho, there's the first chapter for you. This story just kind of popped up in my head while I was walking to my classes, so it might not be thatgreat. Please tell me what you think about it. Thanks


	2. Pink Cats and Other Things

**A/N:** Alrighty, a second chapter…I can't believe I'm still going. Anywho, this was an odd one to right simply because; a) I really am bad at righting this fluffy stuff; b) I really have no clue as to what is going on in Ootori's head, I can only go off of what little is shown in the series; c) I had to write this with a big, metal finger brace and bandages galore on my right index finger because I apparently lack the skills necessary for opening a can…But I did manage to put in the Golden Pair. Well, read and enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters, I make no money off of this and it always belongs to another person, namely Takeshi Konomi.

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Count on Me

_Ring…Ring…Ring…_

"Yeah?"

Choutarou smiled at the way his friend answered his phone. He was walking home from practice when he decided to call Shishido.

"Hi, Shishido-san! Are you okay?"

"Wha?…Yeah, I'm fine…Why?...Oh, Choutarou, it's you."

Shishido seemed distracted by something he was working on. Choutarou wondered what it could be. At least he was happy that Shishido was not ill, but part of him then questioned why he would not show up for practice.

"Anou, Shishido-san, why weren't you at practice today?"

"Aww…#$&…"

Choutarou chuckled at his friend's response. Though it was muffled, he could tell Shishido was swearing under his breath.

"What'd his majesty say?"

"Well, let's see…ahem…'Unless he's dying or dead, he better show up or he'll learn the meaning of pain from ore-sama.'"

Choutarou attempted to do his best Keigo impression and to sound as self-important as the captain did. He heard Shishido snort on the other end. He did not know whether it was a result of the actual threat or the fact that he failed miraculously at the impression.

"Serious?…As ridiculous as that sounds, I know Atobe's gonna follow through with that…What'd I miss anyways?"

"Well, we got to run 15 laps around the courts and then played practice matches… You know that Atobe-san is going to make you run. And from the sound of things, make you run a lot."

"#$&…"

Once again, Choutarou could not help but chuckle at the mumbled swearing coming from the other end of the line.

"Ahem…Anyways, who did you play today?"

"Mukahi-san and Oshitari-san."

"You had to play against them both?…How'd that go?"

"Well, we kept tying since I always took service game and they took theirs."

"I see…Forget them, how'd you serve? Did they all go in?"

Choutarou was able to happily reply the affirmative.

"Yup. They even tried to stand towards the right and I still got an ace!"

"Alright! See? Your serve is unbeatable if Mukahi and Oshitari couldn't even get it!"

Shishido-san sounds so happy about that…I'm glad…but still, a part of me wishes he was there to see it himself…

"Hey, Choutarou…Sorry about leaving you alone for practice today."

Choutarou paused for a moment.

"Hello?"

"What? Oh right, sorry about that…anou…Shishido-san? Why weren't you at practice today?"

"Well….I…umm…I had something more important to do…"

"Well…Ah, never mind. I'm glad you're okay though. So I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah! I mean…yeah. I'll be there tomorrow. Count on it."

"Alright! Goodbye, Shishido-san!"

"Ya, see ya later!"

Choutarou smiled as he ended the call. He continued to walk home, looking at all the decorations in all the store windows. It was the month of February and everybody was busy trying to sell anything related to Valentine's Day. He enjoyed all the pastel colors and all the cheerful ornaments. As he was walking, he began to wonder about what Shishido had said.

_"I wonder what was so much more important?…Well, it doesn't matter, he'll be there tomorrow…I wonder what Atobe-san is going to make him do?"_

When he was about to turn the corner, he ended up bumping into somebody.

"What? Oh I'm so sorry!"

"Yeah, that's fine, nya…"

Choutarou paused. "Nya"? He looked down and noticed the shorter boy picking himself off the ground. He looked around and then suddenly panicked.

"Waaah! Oh no! Where did it go, nya!"

Choutarou quickly scanned the area around him and noticed a plastic bag nearby. He grabbed the bag and handed it to the other boy.

"It's still here!…Huh? Oh, you're that really fast server from Hyoutei, aren't you? Remember me? Eiji Kikumaru!"

"Of course I remember. How are you doing?"

Choutarou smiled at the shorter boy. He recalled that Eiji was the one who showed off Gakuto in the first matches. The Seigaku regular was energetic as always.

"Great, nya! I was just out shopping…Hey, what do you think about this?"

Eiji rummaged around in his bag and finally pulled out an overly stuffed pink cat. It was obviously meant to look super-deformed due to the gargantuan head and relatively short body. The fur on its stomach was a creamy white that had the words, "Friends for Life" embroidered in red fancy calligraphy.

"Umm…It's cute…"

"I wanted to get a little something that was kind of fun for Oishi. Think he'll like it, nya?"

"If it's Oishi-san, I'm sure he'll like it."

That was the only response he could come up with. He honestly had no idea if Eiji's double partner would enjoy the gift. Choutarou was actually wondering why he was even asking him.

"Thanks, I'm sure he will too. Well, sorry for troubling you! Got to go, nya! Bye bye!"

Choutarou watched as Eiji carefully placed the stuffed animal back into the bag and bounded off towards wherever he was headed.

_"He doesn't change at all. While I'm not sure as to the actual gift, it's nice that he's getting something for his friend…I wonder if I should get something for Shishido?…Probably not…Shishido would probably not like that..."_

While he continued to ponder about his friend and what would happen if he himself gave Shishido something like that, he almost walked by somebody who was walking towards him.

"Oh…It's Oishi-san…That's somewhat ironic…"

Sure enough, Eiji's doubles partner walked up next to Choutarou.

"Funny seeing you here. How are you doing?"

As always, Oishi was polite as ever. Choutarou wondered if he was looking for Eiji.

"Anou, are you looking for Eiji?"

"What! He's not here is he?"

Oishi quickly scanned the crowds for any sign of his energetic partner. Choutarou remembered why Eiji was out and what he had gotten for Oishi.

"Well, yeah, he was walking that way."

Choutarou pointed to the opposite direction. Oishi sighed in relief.

"Oh, that's good…I got something for him and I don't want him seeing it."

As he was talking, he reached into his tennis bag and pulled out a stuffed animal. This one, unlike the first, was a super-deformed dog. Once again, the head was too large and the body quite out of proportion. The colors were just as pastel as the first with its fur being a creamy white with a crimson stomach. The second similarity was the embroidery in light pink that said, "Friends Forever."

"Oh…How…cute…" Choutarou tried his hardest to seem surprised and/or charmed by the fluffy animal.

"You think so? It's nothing much, just some seasonal fun."

"I think Eiji-san will really like it."

"Ah, thank you and sorry for bothering you with something like this."

"It's not a problem. Bye!"

"Yeah, bye!" Oishi hurriedly put the animal back in his bag, out of sight from public eyes.

Choutarou watched him walk away and head towards what he guessed was home for him. The second year player watched him become smaller and smaller in the distance.

"Well, this had to be the weirdest and most ironic trip home ever."

He smiled at the strange friends known as the Golden Pair. He then began to think about the topic of his paper.

_"As strange as they are, those two really are a good example of reliability…I suppose, though, that's why they can be called a Golden Pair…"_

Choutarou continued to wonder all the way until he finally reached his home. After entering his house he immediately went to his room to work on his homework. As he was completing some math problems, he heard his door slowly open. Looking down, he noticed his cat squeeze through. It sauntered into the room and gracefully jumped on his bed.

"Hmm, what are you doing in here?"

He got up from his desk and walked over to the bed. He bent over, picked the cat up and sat down on his bed. Choutarou began to gently stoke it and rub behind its ears. The feline could only purr.

"You know…I can't help but think about those stuffed animals today."

His pet looked up at him when he stopped rubbing it. He smiled then grabbed the cat under its forearms and held it out in front of him.

_Meow…Meow?_

"I wonder what you would look like all pink and overly fluffy?"

_Meow?_

"I'm sure you would be totally adorable."

_Meow!_

"Ha ha…Yeah, I know you're adorable already."

_Meow! Meow!_

Choutarou set his cat back on his bed as he got up to continue to do his work. As he was attempting another math equation, his mind began to wander about the day's events.

_"I still don't understand those two stuffed animals…But whatever the case, those two seem to really care about each other. Shishido-san…I wonder what he's doing right now?"_

He shook his head and chuckled at himself for being so distracted by the little things of the day. Concentrating on the problem again, he continued to diligently work on his homework until he came to a problem he could not figure out. While he was trying to think the equation out, he began to loose interest.

_"I think I'll get something for him…He might not care about it, but there's nothing wrong with getting something for somebody if they're your friend right?…I wonder if Shishido-san thinks of me as a friend…He did, after all, stay that whole night to help me get my serve down, and he's always excited when I'm able to do it right, so that counts, doesn't it?…But, that's just tennis, and he really was repaying me for helping him…Oh, I don't know…I give up…I really need to finish my homework…"_

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**A/N:** Don't we always have to finish our homework:sigh: Well, see, I put in the Golden Pair. Honestly, I really have no idea as to writing about them, so if they seem OOC, I apologize. But I really did try my best…only I just don't know how to write about the Golden Pair as this is the first time I have ever mentioned them…Anyhoo, third chapter coming soon.


	3. I'm here! Kind of

**A/N:** Yay, another chapter. Thank you all so much for the reviews. It really made me happy to know my story is being read. Yes, I am that easy to please. And yes, things are moving a little slow. I'll try and pick things up a bit now. It was just hard at first because I still didn't know where I was taking the story…Now, I have a fairly solid idea, so I hope things will pick up…Then again it might not, being that I have no idea how to make fluff go faster…but I shall try! Thank you again so much for the lovely reviews!

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Count on Me

"Remember, class, continue to work on your papers…And for your sake and mine, don't procrastinate. That is all. Dismissed."

Choutarou sighed at being reminded of his paper. He still had no idea who he was going to write about.

_"I still don't know who I'm going to write about…Well, I suppose I will have to write about family…I forgot to ask Shishido-san last time…I'll ask him today."_

He smiled as he walked over to the tennis courts. When he plays against Gakuto and Yuushi again, Shishido would be there to make things much easier. As he was coming out of the clubhouse, he ran into the mentioned doubles players.

"Ah…Mukahi-san, Oshitari-san…What happened to you two?"

Gakuto had a large bandage on his forearm, a taped piece of gauze on his shin and a small, white band-aid across his cheek. Yuushi was slightly better off with only a bandage around each arm.

"Gakuto decided to try out his new, great and glorious move…As you can see, he learned the laws of physics don't change…ever."

Gakuto immediately went on the defensive.

"Yeah, well, you were pretty dumb too, trying to catch me and all. If you're so great with your 'laws of physics' theories, then you should have known you'd get smashed."

"Whatever. It's water under the bridge now. Let's just get to practice and play some tennis."

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go!"

Once again they forgot that Choutarou was still standing there as they walked off. He could not help but smile as he watched Gakuto start getting excited about something with Yuushi laughing at him. It was as if their little argument had never happened.

_"Oshitari-san cares about Mukahi-san. He tried to catch Mukahi-san to help him even though he was injured because of it…They get along so well…I wonder if Shishido-san and I seem that way to other people…Oh yeah, he should be here soon."_

He looked around some more and then he spotted him. Shishido was a short distance away talking with Atobe who seemed less than pleased. He decided to walk over along with everyone else who were all curious as to the punishment Shishido would receive.

"Ore-sama is very disappointed and does not tolerate those who break the rules of practice. Now go run 50 laps!"

Shishido stared at Atobe in disbelief with the latter crossing his arms to show there was no debate.

"50 laps! That's gonna take…well, a long time!…That's cruel and unusual punishment!"

"Ha! 'Cruel and unusual' you say? You should be grateful that ore-sama is so merciful. At Seigaku, those who skip out on practice thus breaking the rules are subjected to 100 laps. Now, is ore-sama merciful, or does ore-sama need to change it to 100 laps?"

"No…I'll run the fifty laps…" Shishido walked to the entrance gate to the courts and started running.

"100 laps? That's a lot of running…I never should say this ever again but, Atobe really is being merciful."

Yuushi looked over at his friend and then thought about it.

"I doubt Atobe is really all that merciful…Our tennis court area is larger than Seigaku's…So really, he might as well be running 100 laps…Heh, 'merciful'…Not a chance."

Choutarou felt sorry for his friend being subjected to so much running, but he was not about to argue. However, he was curious about the strange tie between captains and running laps.

"So, Tezuka-san actually makes them do that many laps?…I know running is a good punishment, but so many…isn't that a bit excessive?"

The back-up player for the regulars, Hiyoshi Wakashi, actually spoke up as the conversation piqued his interest.

"I think it's good. Those who come, get to play, while those who don't, run."

"Yeah, but…the main questions to be asked are how does Atobe know about Seigaku and Tezuka's discipline methods? And why is it that captains seem to know about everything?"

Everybody paused a moment to think about Gakuto's questions. Jiroh broke the silence by walking over and letting out a noisy yawn and an answer.

"I bet Atobe and Tezuka keep in touch for some reason and share tips on how to torture the players. And who knows what else they talk about…But I know they do 'cause I caught Atobe talking on the phone with Tezuka a little while back."

Choutarou and everyone else was shocked that their captain might be conspiring against them by sharing running tips with rival team captains.

"Maybe their friends? I mean, outside of tennis they're just two guys who really are somewhat alike."

"Atobe and Tezuka?…There isn't a similarity at all. Tezuka has the personality of a brick wall and Atobe is…well Atobe."

Choutarou smiled at Gakuto and explained his statement.

"Well, yes, personality wise they are very different, but when it comes down to tennis and the team, well, then their similar…Besides, I used the word, 'somewhat'."

Gakuto and the others still seemed skeptical, but all agreed on it. Little did they realize, however, that Atobe happened to be nearby enough to catch their conversation.

"Hey!…It's very rude to talk behind a person's back…especially when the person can hear you! All of you, run 15 laps, now! And it's not your place to question ore-sama's phone calls!"

All of the regulars grumbled as they assembled in front of the courts and began their laps. Shishido continued to run the whole while, but then looked back. Behind him were the remaining members of the team. He felt a slight tinge of joy that he was not the only one made to suffer. After making another lap, Shishido looked behind again. He noticed that Choutarou was ahead of everybody else and was trying to catch up with him. Shishido slightly slowed down to allow the other boy to catch up with him.

"So you made it to practice, Shishido-san."

"Yeah…Why is everybody running?"

Choutarou laughed at reason.

"Well, Atobe got angry because we were talking about him and Tezuka and the phone calls they make to each other."

Shishido stared blankly at the other boy and about stumbled on the ground, but he managed to catch himself.

"Clarify that please…Wait…No, don't."

Choutarou watched as Shishido continued to run, but could clearly tell his mind was occupied by something.

"Shishido-san has a perverse mind."

"What! No I don't! But I mean, you gotta admit that sounded a bit…odd."

"I know."

They continued to run in silence for a while until Shishido spoke.

"You know how I said you could count on me to be there at practice with you? Well…Sorry, with the running laps thing, I can't really practice…And…Well…"

Choutarou watched as Shishido began searching the surrounding area for something else to say. His face started to become flushed as he continued to search.

"No, it's okay, Shishido-san. Technically, you are at practice, so you still stayed true to your word."

"Thanks, but…not really, I mean, I really wanted to be there with you at practice so we could totally wail on Gakuto and Yuushi…but I can't so…yeah, sorry."

He just smiled at Shishido and his attempt to be apologetic and sentimental at the same time. Choutarou was just glad that Shishido was at practice.

"It's okay. Besides, there's always the next practice and Atobe-san said that we'd be playing against each other for a while since the nationals are coming up and all. So the next practice you can play!"

Shishido relaxed after hearing those words from Choutarou.

"Yeah, well, thanks…And I guarantee that I will be there for you the next time!"

Choutarou finally finished the laps he was sentenced to and stopped when he came to the court entrance. Shishido paused a moment to talk to Choutarou.

"Keep up your serve the whole game. I'll be watching as I run by…many, many times…And I'll try and help out from the side lines."

"Thank you, Shishido-san. Anou, you better get running again. Atobe-san does not look pleased."

"Gotta go!"

Shishido immediately took off in hopes of running away from the wrath of their captain. Choutarou watched him sprint away.

_"Well, he might not be playing, but he is here after all…He also apologized about it…Shishido-san really did want to play with me. Even though he can't play today, there's always the next day…Besides, he's going to still be there with me even while running laps…So, I suppose it worked out after all…"_

"Alright. Same thing as yesterday, only this time, Jiroh plays Kabaji while I'll play Wakashi."

Atobe dismissed them and they all walked over to the respective courts. Choutarou caught up with Gakuto and Yuushi.

"Why is Atobe making us play each other again? He already knows that we can't return the Scud Serve and Choutarou can't play solo."

Yuushi nodded in agreement with his friend.

"I bet it's just because we need to get used to playing opponents who can keep their service game."

"It's also a good chance for me to keep practicing my serve."

Choutarou agreed that it was pointless for them to play each other, but on the other hand, it had its benefits.

"Let's begin then."

Once again, Choutarou was allowed to serve first. He noticed that Shishido was rounding the corner and passing by the court. He wanted to show how good he was at the Scud Serve.

"Ikyuu…Nyuu…Kon!"

He put everything into his serve and it was untouchable.

"Alright! That was great!"

Choutarou smiled at the comment coming from the other boy. He still ran but slowed a little to cheer on his partner, just as he promised.

_"It does seem easier when Shishido-san is around, even if he isn't on the court…"_

"15-0!"

Choutarou served again with the same result as the first. In a matter of a few minutes, Choutarou had already taken his service game.

"You seem to be hitting them better than usual today."

"Oh, thank you Oshitari-san."

Gakuto however, was not so complimentary about it.

"It's too fast. I can barely get to it! Slow it down at least a little!"

Choutarou walked to the other side of the court.

"Sorry, Mukahi-san, but I won't improve if I don't give it my all each time."

"I don't think you can improve something that moves that fast…"

Gakuto grumbled to himself all the way over to the other side. Yuushi had to take a few minutes to persuade Gakuto that not all was lost.

"0-1, 0-0!"

Choutarou ran to receive the ball and returned it with as much force as he could. Despite his efforts however, Gakuto was right there to volley it back. This time though, Choutarou anticipated the shot and dove for the ball. Due to his long reach, he was able to get to the ball and managed to bump it back over the net.

"Hey, you alright?"

He looked up and saw Shishido running by the court again.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Shishido smiled continued to shout at Choutarou.

"Way to get it over! Keep it up, just stay ahead of the jumping frog over there."

Shishido then disappeared around another corner leaving a smiling Choutarou and a disgruntled Gakuto.

"Jumping frog? Me? Why would he call me that!"

Yuushi chuckled and walked over to his partner.

"Probably because you have a habit of jumping when you're not doing anything."

Gakuto merely answered with a "hmph" before walking back into position. Yuushi served again and again, and eventually, the game was over. The pattern from yesterday was the same. Choutarou kept all of his service games while Yuushi and Gakuto kept theirs. After another tie, Atobe dismissed the regulars. As they were walking to the clubhouse, Shishido just finished his laps.

"So, did we learn why we don't skip practice?"

Atobe stood over Shishido who was sitting on the ground out of breath.

"Yes..huff…I won't…skip practice…anymore."

"Good."

With that, the captain of Hyoutei walked off with Kabaji trailing right behind him.

"Stupid…Atobe…Huh?"

He was interrupted as a water bottle was handed to him. Choutarou had his and Shishido's gear lined up.

"Mm, thanks."

"Mm-hm. And thank you for keeping your word. It was much easier to play today since you were there."

"Of course. Now imagine how it would be if I was actually on the court? We'd totally beat those two."

Choutarou smiled at Shishido. After sitting with him there for a while, Shishido finally caught his breath and stood up.

"Well, you better get home now. I'll see you next practice, 'kay?"

"Okay. Bye, Shishido-san!"

"Yeah, see ya!"

Choutarou grabbed his tennis bag and started walking home. As he usually did on his way home, he thought about things.

_"Tomorrow is Saturday, so practice won't be for a couple of days…I'll get Shishido-san something this weekend then…Hmm, today's practice really was a lot easier since I knew Shishido-san was there…I really am improving and he seems to care about that too…I wonder if my improvement is the only thing he cares about…No…Well…I really need to stop thinking about silly things like that!…So think about something else…Come to think of it…What should I get Shishido-san?"_

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**A/N:** So concludes this chapter. I have no idea if it is moving faster or not, but, I will continue to try. Next up, Choutarou goes out to buy Shishido a present. Well, read, review, do whatever it is you do and leave this story with that fuzzy feeling inside…Umm…I'm not sure if it actually invokes the warm and fuzzy feeling…I can't tell…but in any event, just read the story and enjoy it how you see fit.


	4. Teddy Bear Hearts

**A/N:** Alright, another chapter. I'm sorry if this seems totally odd and all, but I can't resist writing about certain things. Anyhoo, Choutarou decides on what he's getting Shishido and there is another small appearance from the Golden Pair. Well, read and enjoy!

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Count on Me

_"What should I get?…"_

"I'm going to go out for a while!"

Choutarou pulled on his shoes and walked out the door. As he was walking down the street he took his time searching any shop that seemed interesting. So far, he had no luck.

"Mommy! Can we go to Build-A-Bear? Please!"

"Sure. Do you know what you're going to do?"

He stopped and listened on the conversation. He had heard about that particular store before but had never actually seen one or been to one.

_"I'll go look…Maybe I'll get an idea…" _

After walking a few blocks, he arrived at a two-story building with a giant bear in front. Choutarou walked inside and was surprised at what he found. There children everywhere. Some were looking through different bins of fur pelts while others were picking out miniature outfits.

"_Oh right…Build-A-Bear…Looks fun."_

"May I help you, sir?"

"Yes, how does this all work?"

The worker energetically showed him a stuffed pink poodle in a ballerina outfit and began to explain the process.

"First, you pick out a pelt, the examples are right there, and you then take it to those people over there. That's where it gets stuffed and stitched up. Afterwards, you go over to that wall over there and pick out an outfit."

_"Sounds fun! I think I'll get Shishido-san something here. It's silly, but I want it to be fun…Now which one?"_

"Is this for somebody or for yourself?"

Choutarou smiled at the worker.

"Ah, no. It's for a friend."

"That's so sweet!"

"Thank you."

Choutarou walked over to the different bins of animal furs and had the eternal battle of what unnecessarily cute animal to pick. After searching around for a while, he found a fluffy, gray-furred teddy bear. He stood there a few moments tossing the pelt from one hand to the other looking it over.

_"This one seems right!…Okay…Holding an animal pelt like this feels funny…"_

He then headed to where a small child was waiting for his pelt to get stuffed. The young girl craned her head up and looked at him.

"Hey, Mister? Do you like teddy bears too?"

Choutarou looked down at the child and smiled. He crouched down so he could get closer to eye level.

"Of course! Do you like them?"

"Yeah! There soooo cute and cuddly and soft and, and, and, I really, really like them!"

Choutarou smiled at the girl's excited explanation.

"Pick a heart."

"Excuse me?"

The young girl tugged at his sleeve and had to explain.

"You gotta pick out a heart for your bear!"

"Oh, okay. Lets see."

He grabbed a small red heart out of a little box along with the little girl.

"Alright. Now you have to rub it so your new friend will have a warm heart."

Choutarou atched as the young child furiously rubbed at the heart. He soon followed suit albeit a gentler manner.

"Now rub it on your arm muscle so it can be big and strong."

Once again he watched the little girl and mimicked the motion. As he was doing these steps, he began to wonder about these people.

_"And I thought holding an animal pelt was weird…This is a little awkward…It makes sense…in a really odd way though…"_

"Finally, close your eyes and make a wish and dream."

_"Are you serious?…Oh well…Let's see…I really hope Shishido-san and I are friends…I want this to be fun, but special…Ikyuu…Nyuu…Kon…"_

He opened his eyes again and by this time his bear was stuffed and he handed the heart over to be stuffed inside. It was then stitched up and handed back. The little girl had just finished hers as well and began hugging it.

"Hey, Mister! Now we get to pick out clothes and name them!"

"Okay."

Choutarou walked over to a large wall with rows upon rows of miniature outfits. He began to browse around for a while, as he did not bother to think about how he wanted to dress it. As he was looking around, he noticed a small boy attempting to reach something on the higher shelf. Choutarou walked over, grabbed it, and handed it to the boy.

"Thank you!"

"Excuse me, Mister. Can you get that one down for me?"

Another child came up and pointed to a dress on the highest rack. He easily reached up and handed it to the younger child.

"Here you go!"

"Thank you, Mister!"

_"Now what to do…Huh?"_

He looked around and noticed he was now surrounded by a group of children.

"Wow, he's so tall!"

"Can you help me? Please?"

"Me too!"

Choutarou smiled at all the children. Then, one-by-one he got down any outfits from the top racks. After finding and handing out the clothing, he saw one last child looking at the higher up clothes.

"Do you need something?"

The child looked up at Choutarou and looked like he was about to cry.

"I can't figure out which one to get and I can't see the other stuff!"

"How about a closer look?"

Choutarou gently lifted the child and set him on his shoulders. The young boy began to giggle as he was now six feet higher.

"Wow, this is great! You're really tall, Mister! Hey, now I can see everything!"

As the child began to scan the higher shelves, Choutarou continued to search for an outfit.

_"How can there be so many?…Let's see…I have no clue…"_

"Yeah this is the one!"

"Did you find something you liked?"

"Yeah! Thanks, Mister!"

"Sure."

Choutarou carefully placed the boy back on the floor and watched him run over to his mother. He then turned back to the clothes rack. He was about to give up when he happened to look down and noticed a fallen package of clothes. As he was hanging it back up, Choutarou took it back down. It had white and blue pants, a white shirt and a jacket to match the pants.

_"Perfect! They really do have everything…But that is kind of freaky…Oh well, this is just what I was looking for!"_

"Hey, Mister! Over here!"

He looked over at the source of the voice and saw the same little girl as from before. He walked over to where she was standing. It was a small table that had mini bathtubs with brushes to the side.

_"Seriously…everything is done here…"_

The little girl was currently pretending to wash her bear and continued to instruct Choutarou.

"You have to give him a bath now and then brush his fur before he can be dressed."

"Oh, okay."

Choutarou took his bear and set it in a bathtub. He proceeded to then pretend to give it a bath just as the girl instructed. After the pretend soaking, he grabbed a brush and began brushing its fur.

_"I really, really hope Shishido-san likes this…"_

After what he deemed a decent grooming he followed the girl to another table that had a small stand up mirror.

"These are the dressing rooms for privacy. Now you have to dress him."

"Right."

He walked over to another open table and began to put the outfit on the bear. After struggling with the pants, the rest was easy. He held it out in front of him and looked it over.

"Done!"

"Almost, but now you have to name him and get his birth card thing."

"Of…course…"

He walked over to a set of computers. Choutarou sat down and began the naming process.

_"I don't know what to name it…"_

After sitting for a while he finally decided on a name. He typed it in and then had it printed out.

"Is that it?"

"Yup! Isn't this so much fun?"

"Yes it is."

Choutarou finally was able to get out of the store and go back home. He had not been out for a very long time, but he felt tired and it felt good when he got back onto the streets. He then decided to just go home and try and get some homework done.

_"That was actually a complicated process for just getting a stuffed animal…Well, I'm done now and I'm happy with the results."_

As he was walking, he noticed a couple of familiar people. Coming his way was the Golden Pair. This time they were together and laughing about something. Oishi then noticed Choutarou.

"Hello again!"

"Hey, you were right about that present I got! He liked it!"

"I'm happy for you, Kikumaru-san."

Oishi looked surprised at Eiji and Choutarou.

"You asked him too?"

This time Eiji looked surprised.

"Yeah! Wow, Oishi, this has to be fate, nya!"

"I'm not sure about that, but it is quite the coincidence."

Choutarou smiled at the pair's reactions. Eiji was happily tugging on Oishi's arm while Oishi began to laugh.

"Thank you, Ootori-san. Sorry if the whole thing seemed odd."

"No problem. I'm glad you enjoy each other's gifts."

Eiji energetically nodded his head and then noticed the conspicuous box Choutarou was holding.

"Did you just go to Build-A-Bear, nya? It's a really fun place isn't it?"

"Uh, yeah, it was."

"Who's it for? Is it for your double's partner?"

"Eiji, you shouldn't pry into other people's business. Sorry about that."

"That's fine. Besides, he's right. It's just something a little fun."

"Shishido-san doesn't strike me as the type to like teddy bears, but I bet anything he'll really like because you made it."

Eiji agreed with his friend.

"It doesn't matter what it is as long as it's from the heart. Knowing your friend put effort into it makes it more precious regardless if they collect stuffed animals or not. Right Oishi?"

"Right. Well, sorry for keeping you so long and getting involved so much. But I think its great that you went through that whole Build-A-Bear workshop thing."

"Thank you very much. See you!"

"Bye, bye!"

Eiji waved enthusiastically as he and Oishi continued to walk to whatever destination they were planning on. Choutarou smiled and waved back. He then looked down at the box.

_"I really hope they're right…"_

He finally reached his home and walked to his room. He set the box down and pulled out his creation.

_"Hmm, still seems to be missing something…"_

As he was contemplating the features of the bear, his older sister walked by and noticed the bear he was holding.

"Cute bear! What's it for, or rather who is it for?"

Choutarou was caught off guard. He had not heard his sister come in.

"Oh…Well, for a friend…Why?"

His sister sat down on his bed and grabbed the bear from her younger brother.

"Just curious…Let me guess. It's for a certain senpai…"

She laughed as Choutarou began to blush and quickly yanked the bear out of her hands. His sister got up and ruffled his hair.

"Guess I'm right, huh? Well, I think it's cute. Besides, it kind of reminds me of you. Anyways, you should get started on your homework my cute, little brother."

"R-right. I was just getting to that."

His sister just laughed and walked out of the room leaving Choutarou still clutching the bear.

_"That was embarrassing…But what is it missing?"_

Choutarou closed his door this time and then began inspecting his bear again. As he was walking around with it, he noticed the missing feature. He set the bear down on his bed and walked over to his desk. After looking through a couple of them, he finally found what he was looking for.

"This will work just fine."

He walked over to the bear and began tying a chain around its neck.

"There. Yeah, it looks good!"

The bear now had a silver chain with a charm of a cross hanging on it. Choutarou had gotten it when he was younger but now it was too small to e comfortable. It fit perfectly on the bear.

"Now it looks complete."

He then took the bear and placed it on the corner of his desk. Choutarou was then able to pull out his homework and begin working on it.

_"I think it was worth it. It really does look perfect now…I hope what Kikumaru-san and Oishi-san said are right about Shishido-san. Oh well, no use worrying about it. I like to keep thinking that he will like it…_

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**A/N:** Wee, now wasn't that fun to read? Sorry if that was a total bore, but I promise it does have relevance to a certain point later on. By the way, I realize that an average kid in Japan wouldn't spend the money to buy a Build-A-Bear for a friend on a whim, but this is fanfiction, so it's possible. And for those who are wondering, yes, there are Build-A-Bear Workshops in Japan. I've actually been in one. I had no idea what they were saying, but since I've made a bear before I could guess. Next chapter will come soon, though I'm not sure how soon. I have to carefully think this next part out so it might take a couple of days longer than usual. Who knows, though. I hope you all enjoyed!


	5. Window Climbing

**A/N:** Okay, another chapter. This might come off as slow, but I finally decided it is need for transition's sake. Things should get a more serious next chapter and on, but I make no guarantees as I have difficulty writing seriously or angst or whatever people would call it. By the way, excuse me if the writingends up not beingthat goodas this chapter was written in a much more sloppy manner. Anyways, read and enjoy.

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Count on Me

_Ring…Ring…Ring…_

"Hello?"

"Hey, Choutarou, could I come over for a while?"

Choutarou grabbed his cell phone. He had just finished his math homework when his phone went off.

"What? Yeah, sure. Let me just ask really quick."

"'Kay..oof…"

"_What's Shishido-san doing? It sounds like he's struggling with something."_

Choutarou carried his phone into the living room downstairs.

"Is it okay if Shishido-san comes over for a while?"

"Why?"

He had to pause. He honestly did not know why his upperclassman wanted to come over.

"I have some homework problems I'm not sure of and he's coming over to help me."

"Sure."

"Thank you!"

Choutarou picked up his cell phone again.

"Yeah, it's fine if you come over. When are you coming?"

"Heh, heh…I'm already here. Uhh…Could you hurry up and open your room window?"

"Right…"

_"What's Shishido-san doing at my window…Why can't he use the door?…"_

Choutarou walked back upstairs into his room and began to open the window. When it was opened a crack, two hands quickly grabbed the ledge. He then quickly opened the window up all the way and looked outside.

"There are easier ways to getting places then scaling the side of a house, Shishido-san."

"…Ha…Whoa!"

Shishido lost his footing and was about to fall down but Choutarou reached down and grabbed his hand.

"I guess my long reach has other uses…Though lifting my senpai through…the window…was not one of the first reasons…There!"

Shishido finally made his way through the window and was sprawled out on the floor panting.

"Thanks…How 'bout we keep this to ourselves?"

"If that's what Shishido-san wants…"

Choutarou patted Shishido on the shoulder and smiled. The other boy could only sigh.

"Anyways…How's it going?"

"Fine…Anou, Shishido-san…Why didn't you use the door?"

Shishido gave him an exasperated sideways glance and fixed his cap.

"It's too conspicuous…What?"

Choutarou just stared at the older boy. In his mind it made no sense. He looked questioningly at Shishido.

"Yes, doorways do tend to be more conspicuous than the second floor window…Though maybe in your case it wasn't."

He smiled at Shishido. He could not help but poke some fun at the nonsensical things Shishido was saying.

Shishido sighed.

"I really shouldn't be out but I wanted out so I decided to come here but if I went through the door my brother might see me on his way home and tell my parents and then get me in trouble so I went through your window."

Choutarou smiled at his rambling.

"That's one of the longest run-ons I have ever heard. But Shishido-san, why aren't you allowed outside?"

"I got grounded for the weekend because I missed practice."

_"So not even his parents knew?…Then what was he doing?"_

Shishido glanced sideways in embarrassment. He then quickly pulled himself together and stood up.

"So what are you doing?"

"Math…You have to help on a few things so I won't be lying…I told my parents you were coming over to help with some math."

Shishido scratched his head and gave Choutarou a lop-sided grin.

"Not sure how much I'll be able to help, but sure."

Even though Choutarou knew how to do every problem, he let Shishido look at some of them and point out a few things. After a short while, Choutarou decided that Shishido did come and help out therefore doing exactly what he told his parents.

"Is that all? Can't believe I actually forgot how to do some of those problems after one year…Oh well, they say you forget 80 of what you learn."

"Shishdo-san is just making excuses?"

"What? No. It's true!"

Choutarou laughed at him. Shishidoalos laughed and sat down on Choutarou's bed.

"So is that all you do on the weekends? Just do homework?"

Choutarou began to collect the papers on his desk and put them back into his book bag.

"Pretty much though I do go out for a little bit sometimes."

"_Right! I should give Shishido-san his gift…Where is it…Oh right."_

He walked over to his closet and reached for the top shelf. He carefully brought the object down and examined it.

"Whatcha got there?"

"Just a little something."

He turned around and held out the bear he had just made earlier that day. He held it in front of Shishido who just looked at it for a while.

"This is for you, Shishido-san."

Shishido gingerly grabbed it from Choutarou and began to inspect it. The first thing he noticed was the silver chain cross hanging around its neck.

"Hey, thanks! You know…It reminds me of you. Is it supposed to?"

"Umm…Yeah. I know its silly and all, but I thought it was kind of fun plus it's also thanks for practicing with me and helping me fix my serve and all and because you're going to be graduating even though I'll still be able to see you and all but still I just wanted to get it for you."

This time Shishido was able to smile at the other person rambling.

"I may be good at run-ons, but you're no slouch either…But really, thanks…I like it…a lot."

Choutarou smiled in embarrassment and in relief that Shishido seemed to appreciate the gesture. He sat down beside Shishido and they both sat there a few moments in silence. Finally, the elder of the two gently tucked the bear under his arm and stood up.

"I know, how 'bout we go to the street courts and play some tennis? I'm sure there's going to be somebody we can play with."

Choutarou looked up at Shishido and smiled.

"Sure. That sounds fun…But what about hiding from your punishment?"

"Forget that. This whole thing put me in the mood to play tennis and I don't care if I get in more trouble for it. Alright grab your stuff and let's go!"

He quickly ruffled Choutarou's hair and walked towards the door. Choutarou quickly grabbed his tennis bag in the corner of his room and followed Shishido downstairs.

"I'm finished with all my homework! I'm going to go practice some tennis."

"Alright, have fun."

When both of them stepped outdoors, Choutarou noticed that Shishido did not have his tennis bag with him.

"Shishido-san, where's your tennis bag?"

Shishido motioned to the side of the house and walked over some bushes and began looking around.

"I tried climbing with it on but that didn't go so well. Therefore, I left if on the ground somewhere…Ah! Here it is."

He bent down and tugged his bag onto his shoulder. Shishido came next to Choutarou and they began to walk again. They continued to walk and talk about tennis and the team's eccentric captain until they arrived at the courts.

The lights were turned on and there were still some people hanging around. Choutarou and Shishido walked up the stairs and looked around for an open court. As they were looking, a couple of guys from another school approached them.

"Hey you! You with the teddy bear!"

Shishido whipped around to face the speaker. Choutarou glanced down and noticed that Shishido was still holding the stuffed animal.

"You guys looking to play some tennis? How 'bout it? Just a simple match, you two versus us."

"Though you might want to put down your little friend there or he might get dirty."

Choutarou gently yet forcefully placed a hand on Shishido's shoulder and directed him to one of the benches.

"Yeah, listen to your senpai."

Choutarou glanced at Shishido. He remained stiff and unmoving and was clearly holding his breath. They obviously mistook Choutarou as the older one as he was a bit taller than Shishido.

"Now, Shishido-san…"

"I'm fine…Everything's…fine."

He went about getting out his racquet and began shifting the strings. Choutarou followed suit and watched their opponents. The other two stood confidently and were obviously making fun of them.

"They're not going to be a challenge, but still keep up your guard and break them with your serve."

"Right, Shishido-san."

_"Even if he gets upset, he still remains objective about it. I'm glad he didn't get too upset though. He's right, this will be easy, and I'll show him up close how I've improved."_

"You guys ready?"

Shishido turned and faced the opponents balancing his racquet on the tip of his finger. Now he was smirking at them. Choutarou stood behind him with his racquet resting on his shoulder.

"How about we let them serve first, Shishido-san."

"Sounds good. So let's get this game started, gentlemen."

The other two boys consented and the four got in their positions. As agreed upon, the challengers served first. Choutarou received first and easily returned the ball.

_"After playing with Mukahi-san and Oshitari-san, returning this kind of serve is easy."_

The first game was over in a matter of moments with Shishido and Choutarou gaining the first game. They passed by their opponents as they switched sides.

"You guys just got lucky. That's all."

Shishido balanced the racquet on his finger again and did not even glance at them.

"Way un-cool."

Choutarou smiled at Shishido's catch phrase. He had to agree though since making excuses like that was disgraceful.

"All right, time to show them your serve."

"Right."

He walked to the baseline and began bouncing the ball. He caught the ball and then tossed it high up in the air while bringing his racquet over his shoulder.

"Ikyuu…Nyuu…Kon!"

Choutarou put all his strength behind the serve. The guy receiving did not even move. All he could do was look behind him and notice the ball was now behind him.

"What the-"

Shishido turned to face Choutarou. He gave him a thumbs up.

"Great. Now do it one more time!"

"Ikyuu…Nyuu…Kon!"

He served for the second time with the same result. It did not take long before the game was over. Shishido walked up to Choutarou and patted him on the back.

"Impressive, you've gotten more control."

Choutarou smiled at him and nodded.

"Thank you, Shishido-san."

It was their opponents turn to serve again. Choutarou glanced over at them and noticed that they were huddled together rapidly talking about something.

_"Good. Seems like my serve was enough to rattle them…This should be even easier now."_

He easily returned the serve again but then noticed a change in their playing style. They were aiming all their shots at Shishido and trying to keep the ball away from Choutarou.

_"Guess they're desperate or something."_

Unfortunately, their tactic failed as they did not realize that Shishido had a tenacity about him that made him able to return any type of shot.

_"He might not have a special or flashy move, but Shishido-san is so determined that he can play with the best."_

Despite their best efforts, Shishido and Choutarou took the game again. They continued to play, Choutarou winning aces with his serve and Shishido returning everything with his hard work and determination, and soon the set was over with Choutarou and Shishido six games to love.

"Good game."

"Whatever…"

Choutarou watched the now defeated pair sulk away. He shook his head at their attitude. Shishido came up beside him and sighed.

"Way un-cool."

Choutarou turned toward Shishido and smiled.

"That was fun. I'm glad we came out here."

"Yeah, me too."

Shishido looked down at his watch and noticed the time.

"It's that late already?…I guess I better go…I bet my parents are waiting right at the door for me…"

"I'm sorry, Shishido-san."

"What? It's not your fault…Besides, I had fun, especially when those guys totally freaked out after seeing your serve. Well, I better be going…Oh yeah, thanks again for the bear. It's…cute."

Choutarou smiled and packed up his things. He said good-bye to Shishido and began to walk home.

_"That was fun…Shishido-san got to see how good my serve is…He's always happy to play with me and he always compliments my serve…I wonder if that's really all he cares about…No…Well…Why do I keep thinking about these things? It doesn't matter, right? Point is, Shishido-san is a great doubles partner…I wonder if he really did like the bear?…It's hard to tell with him…He seemed to like it…Once again, why am I thinking about Shishido-san and what he thinks about everything?…I don't get it…I need to stop worrying about these things…Right…Now, about that paper I have to write…"_

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**A/N:** Alrighty, the chapter is finally over. Oh, right, some people asked me about names so here it goes. Ootori is the last name while Choutarou is the first name. The reason I do not refer to him as Ootori is that the story is supposed to be more from his perspective so I wanted it to seem more personal, therefore I used his first name. As far as the other names go, I refer to them as they are commonly known and I have the characters call each other how they normally would. To clarify, Shishido usually refers to everybody by their last name, no honorific. The exception would be Ootori, whom he calls him by his first name. Ootori refers to everbody by their last name with the honorific suffix –san so he comes off as more formal and polite. There you go. Names in a nutshell. Anyways, read, review, send more questions or whatever. Have a nice day!


	6. Why?

**A/N:** Sorry about the delay. I had to find my inspiration…Haven't found it yet, I just had to kick myself and start writing this…I've been procrastinating…I just didn't want to write serious…So I am sorry if this comes out incredibly sappy and cliche...Writing this way is not something I'm used to...But anyways, I did so here it is, the sixth chapter and no, I do not know how long this will be…Probably a couple more chapters, but who knows…I certainly don't. Well anyways, read and enjoy!

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Count on Me

_"That was an odd day yesterday…But it was fun…"_

"Don't forget!"

"I won't!"

Choutarou put on his shoes and went out of his house. His mother was busy and his sister was off somewhere so he ended up going to get the groceries. He was on his way to the grocery store when he spotted Shishido in the distance. Choutarou was about to greet his senpai when he noticed he was talking to Atobe. Being the polite person he was, he stopped and waited for them to finish their conversation.

"Why do you want to do that?"

"C'mon, Atobe! Does it really matter?"

"Yes. Ore-sama will not do anything without knowing everything."

"Stop being so difficult!"

Choutarou happened to be able to hear their conversation, however, they did not seem to notice him.

_"I should go somewhere else…I wonder what they're talking about?…No! It's not my business…But I want to know…"_

He continued to have an inner battle with himself when he suddenly heard something. At that point, he was set on staying and listening without even realizing it himself.

"So that's why you don't want to play with Ootori?"

"Right. So what do you think?"

"You're an idiot."

"Hey! Watch it!"

Choutarou could not believe what he was hearing. He suddenly felt something churning in his stomach that made it hurt.

_"I…must have missed something…Right?…Why would Shishido-san…Why would he…"_

He wanted to interject and ask Shishido why, but something held him back. He tried to move but could not. He just stood there lightly biting his lower lip and listening on.

"It's not very hard. Just have him play with Hiyoshi for a while."

"Are you sure? Shouldn't you say something to Ootori?"

"Well, yeah, I mean no! That…it wouldn't work then."

Atobe watched amused as Shishido began to shift his weight and look to the side. Something off to the sidethen caught his eye and made him smirk.

"Fine. Ore-sama shall talk with Coach. Still, it might be wiser to say something to your partner, hm?"

"I'll deal with it how it comes."

Atobe turned around and was about to walk off when he still had one last thing to say.

"Out of curiosity, this wouldn't have something to do with that incredibly adorable bear, would it?"

Shishido immediately blushed and went on the defensive as the tennis captain looked overly innocent in asking the question. After seeing how uncomfortably Shishido began to act, Atobe stood smirking as his teammate squirmed to come up with an excuse.

"That has nothing to do with it! How did you even know!"

"It's sticking out of your bag."

Atobe pointed to Shishido's tennis bag slung over his shoulder. The zipper was partially undone and a gray bear was sticking out. Shishido quickly stuffed it inside and quickly pulled the zipper.

"I-it's nothing!…I-it's just a stupid meaningless bear, what of it?"

_"…Shishido-san…I thought…he liked it…at least a little…Why should I care…It is just a silly thing created on a whim…Still…How come it bothers me…I…"_

Atobe shrugged and shook his head at Shishido who was still furiously blushing.

"Mm, nothing really. Just thought I'd ask. Anyways, you'll start playing singles for a while and I'll move Hiyoshi with Ootori. Who says ore-sama does nothing? Just be careful about your partner. See ya later, then!"

Atobe waved behind his back at Shishido who still stood their motionless, blushing and staring at the ground. He finally let out a huge sigh and rested his arms behind his head.

"What a pain."

Choutarou watched as Shishido recollected himself and walked off. He wanted to run to him and ask him a load of questions, but once again, a feeling held him back.

_"I should just ask him what he meant…Why am I hesitating?…Am I afraid of the answer?…I need to leave it alone…There must be a reasonable explanation to this…right, tomorrow I'll ask him. None of this now…I have more important things…like…groceries…"_

He looked around and noticed that some people were beginning to stare. After watching the strange conversation between the last two students, they were beginning to wonder about the third student just standing there staring out to nowhere.

"Oops…Sorry, excuse me…"

Choutarou gathered his composure and quickly walked toward the grocery store. As he was walking, he began to go over the list his mother had given him.

_"Eggs, milk, bread, cheese, meat…How much more stereotypical does a grocery list get?…Why do I feel angry at the grocery list?…It's just a stupid meaningless…"_

Choutarou paused in mid thought. He began to rollover the last part. Then, memories from what Shishido had said earlier came back.

_"Stupid and meaningless…Really…People need to eat…Therefore they buy groceries…If there were no groceries…then there is no food…So it's not meaningless…It's not meaningless at all…"_

Along the way, Choutarou could not decide if he was then talking about the groceries or the bear. His head began to ache from thinking too hard and failed to notice a sign.

"H-hey! Watch out, Kid!"

"Wha-"

Choutarou took in his surroundings and was immediately greeted by a pane of glass. He was too busy thinking to notice that the automatic door was not working and so he had slammed face first into the closed doors. He fell to the ground and rubbed his head.

"Bad day…"

"Are you alright?"

He looked up at the speaker. It was a man dressed in a workers uniform looking down at him. He bent down and helped Choutarou stand back up.

"Yes…Thank you…And I'm terribly sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it. Just pay more attention next time."

"I will. Thank you, sir."

Choutarou bowed at the worker and looked to the side. A regular door was off to the side and there was a sign stating that the door was the entrance. Choutarou sheepishly walked over and opened the door. After walking in and bowing his head at one of the clerks, he bolted for a deserted aisle.

_"I can't believe I just did that…This isn't a good day…Here I thought it was going to be a good day…Why didn't I notice the sign?…Oh right, I was thinking…Like I am now…I should stop now…"_

Choutarou stood straight and took in a deep breath. After exhaling, he felt much better. He walked over to the set of carts and pulled one away from the others. Then, he fished out his mother's list and began shopping.

As he was pushing the cart, it kept swerving to the right side. Choutarou looked down at the cart and noticed one of the wheels was not hooked on properly.

_"Great…A malfunctioning cart…Stupid…Why am I so tense?…It's not the cart's fault…It's whoever broke it that's to blame…Once again…I'm thinking too much…Did I just make another freaky correlation to grocery items and a teddy bear?"_

He stopped pushing the cart and began staring at the different cartons of milk. After a few moments, he completely forgot what he was looking for.

"May I help you with something?"

Choutarou was knocked out of his reverie when a young woman dressed in a green apron approached him.

"Oh, no…I was just looking…for…anou…"

She giggled as he fumbled with the grocery list and blushed. She came closer and leaned over his shoulder and looked at the list.

"One percent milk? I'm sorry, we're out of that."

"Oh really? So what would the next best thing be?"

The lady looked to the side and thought about it. Choutarou watched fascinated as he did not realize that it was such a complex question. He continued to stare at her when she finally looked at him.

"It would depend really. If you would prefer something a little bit thicker with more fat or skim milk which has no fat but is a little thinner…"

Choutarou stared at her in shock. After all that thinking she could only come up with that. He quickly shook his head and smiled his normal sweet smile.

"Oh, thank you very much. I have a much better idea now."

"I'm glad I could help!"

She cheerfully smiled and skipped off down another aisle. Choutarou watched her go and sighed. He actually had no idea what she was talking about and was just as confused if not more confused now.

_"How does milk become so complicated?…That was one of the most useless pieces of information…"_

Choutarou paused and once again recollected his thoughts and knew that it was pointless to get angry with a person who had no control over anything in the store. He had to take another deep breath to think calmly.

_"So it's between two percent and skim…Well…my sister is always complaining about fat…Mother does too sometimes…So I guess I should go with skim milk…"_

Choutarou reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of skim milk. He gently placed it in his grocery cart and then began walking up and down the other aisles gathering the necessary items.

At long last, he was finally finished. He carefully maneuvered his wobbling shopping cart to the check out line. Choutarou was feeling better now that he would be able to go home, until he saw the check out line. Every lane was full with some lines going into the aisles.

"Way un-cool…"

Choutarou paused after he realized what he had mumbled. He then thought about the conversation he heard earlier and became irritated again.

_"Why today? It couldn't have gone smoothly, could it?…Why is the line so long?…I hate this…How come I have to do the groceries?…Why am I getting so worked up…Just calm down…It's not their fault…It's not anybody's fault…this can't be helped. I'm not the only one who needs groceries after all…It's not stupid and meaningless…"_

Once again, Choutarou was drawn back to those two adjectives. He looked up and sighed. He knew deep down that his frustration was coming from something else, but he could not help but be frustrated. He was frustrated with everything: with groceries, with milk, with broken automatic doors, with Shishido, and with himself. He noticed the ache in his head again and looked over his shoulder. On the shelf next to him was a small bottle of ibuprofen. Without thinking he grabbed a bottle and threw it in his cart. His mind began to wander once again, on things relating to Shishido, teddy bears and bad days.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Choutarou noticed that he had made it through the line, checked his groceries and had to pay now.

"Oh right…Here you go."

He handed the clerk the money who quickly punched in the numbers and pulled out his change. He quickly stuffed it in his pocket, grabbed the two bags of groceries, and practically ran out of the store.

Choutarou took a deep breath, glad to be out of the shopping chaos. As he was walking, something wet dropped on his hand. He looked up and noticed the gray sky. A tiny droplet of water plopped onto his nose and ran down his face. He wanted to cry.

_"Of course it would…How could it get wor-"_

Choutarou stopped himself. He normally did not believe in superstition, but at this point, he was just being cautious. However, that was useless as it soon began to rain.

_"Well, that was stupid of me to try…I got to get home before the rain ruins the groceries…"_

He ran all the way home and practically threw the groceries in the house in an attempt to save them. He then followed suit, quickly shutting the door behind him. As he was shaking off the excess water and taking off his shoes, his sister came down the hallway.

"So it started to rain…At least you were able to get the groceries back."

She leaned over and grabbed the bags. After shaking off the water, she brought the groceries into the kitchen and began putting them away.

"You should get dried off or you'll catch a cold."

Choutarou sighed and smiled at her.

"Alright. I'm going to take a shower now."

His sister watched him slowly go up the stairs. She shook her head. The minute she saw him she could tell he was in a bad mood even though he still smiled.

After taking a long, hot shower, Choutarou felt a little better. He was still a little cold, so he threw on a baggy sweatshirt one size too big. He then sat on his bed and popped a couple capsules of ibuprofen. Grabbing his pillow from the head of his bed, he clutched it too his chest and then unceremoniously plopped down on his side.

_"This feels nice…"_

He closed his eyes and snuggled into his oversized sweatshirt. He was enjoying himself so much that he did not hear his sister come in. She silently sat on the other side of his bed.

"So how was your day?"

"Oh…It was fine. How about you?"

She could hear how weary her little brother sounded and how he was trying so hard to sound interested and cheerful. She wanted to make him feel better but she did not know how to.

"Pretty good…So-o-o…Hey, are you feeling okay?"

"I feel fine. Why?"

"The bottle of painkiller on your nightstand made me wonder just a little."

Choutarou kept his back to her. Even though he put on a cheerful tone, he could not force his face to match. He could only frown and stare absent-mindedly at the wall.

"I just had a little headache. That's all…I think I'm going to take a nap before dinner."

With each passing minute it grew more difficult for him to keep up the front. His sister merely rubbed his back and patted his head.

"Sure. Sleep good."

Choutarou listened to her walk out of his bedroom and close the door quietly behind her. He sighed. He appreciated that his sister tried to make him feel better, but at this point, he wanted only to be alone. His mind kept wandering to the conversation between Atobe and Shishido.

It played over and over in his mind. With each passing time, he felt worse and worse. Choutarou hugged his pillow closer. He sincerely hoped the painkillers would kick in and stop his headache. After futile attempts to stop his mind from wandering, Choutarou, without noticing, began to grow tired by the second.

_"I really want to sleep…Why?…Why?…Why wouldn't Shishido-san want to be my doubles partner anymore?…If he didn't like the bear…he should have said so…But he's too nice and wouldn't tell me…It would have been easier if he just told me out front…Why do II sound like something from Oshitari-san's movies…I don't want to play with Hiyoshi-san…I want to be with Shishido-san…How come…I want to sleep…Why won't he…I want to sl-…"_

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**A/N:** There you have it, another chapter. This was my sorry attempt at serious…I don't like writing serious…I feel like I'm writing for a cheesy teen love novel…Anyways, I meant for this chapter to be short and what not…but it turned out a bit longer than expected…Funny how that works…Right, forgive me for the random things about groceries…I kind of ranted on some of the things that go wrong when grocery shopping…especially the squeaky, broken wheel…Well, next chapter should be coming up and we'll maybe learn more about why Shishido wants to stop playing with Ootori...Honestly…I don't know yet…I kind of know…but I still haven't worked out the kinks…But I do know that Ootori is reaching his limits with keeping everything inside and just smiling...Anyhoo, thanks for bothering to read this story and for reviewing!


	7. Camera Phones and a Silver Pair

**A/N:** So here it is, chapter 7. I promise this story does have an end in the near future…like two chapters in the future…Well, this continues the somewhat serious stuff but it does end on a lighter note. Ignore the random Hyoutei team stupidity towards the end…I don't know where that came from…Anyways, read, enjoy and review!

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Count on Me

_"I'm not playing with Shishido-san today...Why...I just want to know why..."_

"Today you'll be playing each other again. Same as last time only Hiyoshi, you'll play with Ootori."

Gakuto came up to Choutarou and poked him.

"Hey, how come you're not playing with Shishido?"

Choutarou internally grimaced at the reminder. However, no matter how much it made him upset, he just smiled and looked innocent.

"I'm not sure. But there has to be some reason, so, it's not that big of a deal."

The shorter boy looked skeptical. Choutarou continued to smile.

"Yeah…You're way too understanding. If Yuushi randomly decided not to play, I'd show him what for."

Gakuto's partner came up behind him and purposely stood over him causing the other boy to start fuming.

"Hey! That was a low blow!"

"Definitely low."

"Gah! You know I'd totally beat you up!"

"How can you beat me up when you can't reach 'up'?"

"Yuushi!"

Gakuto had no jumped onto his back and began putting him in a deadlock. Yuushi was laughing yet trying desperately to pry the smaller boy off.

"Bah, let go! It's not like it would happen anyways."

Choutarou had watched their antics and then frowned. He looked around and saw Shishido a court over talking to Jiroh who apparently was not listening, but about to fall asleep.

"Seeing you frown like that is a rarity."

Atobe had come up behind Choutarou. He whipped around to face the eccentric tennis captain.

"Atobe-san! anou…What are you doing?"

"Just wondering…Don't think too hard about it."

He imperiously walked away leaving Choutarou standing confused.

"_What is he talking about?…Shishido-san…Wait! Did he know I heard?"_

"Wait, Atobe-san!"

Choutarou ran to catch up with Atobe.

"What do you mean? Why aren't I playing with Shishido-san?"

Atobe stared blankly and then smirked.

"Shishido can be so dense…Like I said, spare yourself and don't think about it. Things always work out eventually."

Choutarou once again was left speechless. He stared as Atobe walked toward the others and Hiyoshi walked up.

"Shall we start?"

"Oh, right. Let's go."

Choutarou joined Hiyoshi along with Yuushi and Gakuto on one of the courts. The two had made up and were talking about one thing or another.

_"Atobe-san was no help…He just loves to be so ambiguous…Really…I should ask Shishido-san…"_

"0-0!"

Choutarou snapped out of his thought process as Yuushi began serving. He ran to the ball and returned it. Gakuto decided to poach right in the beginning.

Hiyoshi began running to towards it as did Choutarou. They both had to suddenly stop before they collided with each other. Gakuto and Yuushi won the first point.

"Sorry Hiyoshi-san."

"Don't worry. We'll call it out now."

"Right."

Yuushi looked over at the make shift pair and shook his head.

"They share nothing. There isn't any kind of rhythm."

Choutarou heard him and had to agree. It was much easier to play with Shishido and even easier to play by himself.

_"This is almost pointless…Atobe-san knows this so why did he agree with Shishido-san?"_

"15-0!"

Yuushi served a second time, this time Hiyoshi returned it. It went cross-court. The Hyoutei tennis prodigy easily got to it and deftly hit it straight down the line.

"Got it!"

Choutarou called out to Hiyoshi as he got behind the ball and volleyed it cross-court behind Gakuto. Had it been any other person, it would have resulted in winning the point. However, since it was Gakuto, he was able to reach the ball and volley it towards the center line.

"Nice try, but too bad!"

Gakuto smiled. Due to their positions, neither Choutarou nor Hiyoshi were able to retrieve it.

"Sorry."

"Not a problem."

Choutarou smiled calmly at Hiyoshi. Internally, he was not so calm.

_"Why are we even doing this?…Hiyoshi-san is good, but not at doubles…and not with me…Shishido-san should be here."_

The game progressed without much change. Choutarou and Hiyoshi were able to win a few games, but they were unable to beat Gakuto and Yuushi's defense.

"What's the score?"

Atobe came up towards the end of practice to check on the doubles.

"6-3."

Yuushi responded and walked over to Atobe with Gakuto right behind. Hiyoshi stood silently and looked off to the side. Choutarou just stood off to the side looking over at Shishido.

"Fine. You're dismissed. Same thing tomorrow."

"I don't want to do this again…" 

"Something the matter. Ootori?"

Choutarou looked over at Atobe. He was looking over his shoulder staring at the younger. Choutarou smiled and shook his head.

"No. Nothing's the matter. See you tomorrow, Atobe-san."

He looked skeptically at Choutarou then nodded his head. He motioned for Kabaji to follow.

As he was watching Atobe leave with Kabaji, Shishido came over.

"Hey, Choutarou!"

He looked up and forced himself to smile. He immediately remembered that it was Shishido's idea to split them up.

"Oh, hi, Shishido-san."

Shishido began to fidget and look around. He was trying to come up with something to say, but failed miserably. Choutarou watched and began to ask him questions.

"Shishido-san…Why do you think we didn't play together today?"

"Uh…Maybe it's because…Well…I don't know…"

He was now really uncomfortable and started blushing. Choutarou shook his head and thought.

_"Shishido-san is such a bad liar…What's better?…If he could lie…or he can't…I suppose this is better…If he's so uncomfortable…Why'd he even do it?"_

Choutarou glanced over at Shishido. He was still blushing. He once again forced himself to smile.

"I'm sure there are reason, right, Shishido-san?"

"Uh, right. There are reasons…Definietly."

Even though there was an answer, Choutarou noticed that Shishido was still fidgeting.

"Okay, there are reasons…but what are they?…Why wonder…Just ask him…" 

"Shishido-san, wh-"

"Hey, Shishido! Atobe wants to see you!"

Shishido gulped. It always worried anybody when Atobe summoned them. He looked up at Choutarou.

"Sorry. Got to go! See ya tomorrow."

"Alright. Goodbye, Shishido-san."

He smiled and watched Shishido run over to Atobe. After he left, Choutarou dropped his smile and gathered his things. He did not and was not looking forward to another practice.

_"This shouldn't bother me…I guess because I know Shishido-san wanted it this way it bothers me more…Of course it bothers me…I wonder if he actually doesn't like me?…"_

Choutarou walked home in a bad mood. While at practice he had felt angry. Now he felt sad. He wanted to think that there was some weird reason why Shishido did not want to play with him anymore. However, no matter how he tried, his mind always came back to Shishido not liking him anymore.

He continued to go to practice each day with a smile and play with Hiyoshi. They had gotten better together, but there still lacked a real rhythm. After ever practice Choutarou intended to ask Shishido, but each time he was either interrupted or changed his mind.

It was the final day of practice when Choutarou was resolute in learning the answer.

"Shishido-san?"

"Yeah? What's up?"

"…Well, the other day…I…You're a bad liar!"

Choutarou imagined saying something a little differently but keeping everything inside caused him to start blurting out whatever came to his mind. Shishido just stared in confusion.

"What are you talking-"

"You said you didn't know. But you do know. It's…It's not fair to me, you know."

By now, the other players heard the conversation and were coming closer to hear more. Choutarou ignored everybody staring and kept his eyes locked on Shishido. On the other hand, Shishido was still confused and feeling awkward with the Hyoutei regulars staring.

"Choutarou, what is this about? What's not fair?"

"Atobe had also come over and stared expectantly at Shishido. His expression was on of I-told-you-so looks. Immediately Shishido knew what Choutarou was talking about."

"That?…Well…I asked-"

"You asked Atobe to play singles right now and that I play with somebody else, Shishido!"

Now it grew interesting. Nobody on the team had ever heard Choutarou get this upset and to top it off, he had dropped all honorifics.

"How did you know-"

I was there. I heard the whole conversation!"

Now Shishido was extremely uncomfortable knowing that Choutarou had heard part of his conversation and that he realized how much taller Choutarou was. The younger boy had gotten much closer to Shishido and was looking down at him.

"So why? Just tell me why and I can finally let it go!"

At this point, Choutarou was venting all the frustration from the week. Now that it was in the open, there was no stopping him. Even though he was upset and frustrated, he could only look at Shishido pleadingly.

"Please just tell me…I would love to let it go, but I can't…Because I couldn't I ran into a broken door, milk became one of the most complicated problems, clerks are ditzy, lines are boring and long and no matter how many there are, they never fix the carts! Tell me why and I can be at peace…"

Choutarou drifted off silently by the end. Shishido and others just stared. They were lost the minute Choutarou began mentioning broken doors. Even though Shishido had no clue as to what the rest of that speech was about, he saw the desperate yet determined look in Choutarou's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Choutarou. I should have said something to you. I guess I'm really bad at this, but I didn't mean to make you stress and…um..have such problems with what I think was a grocery store."

Choutarou calmed down a bit and continued to listen. Shishido kept his eyes locked with Choutarou.

"It's not because I don't like you or anything like that. It's only temporary and I can't tell you why…not just yet though."

He paused a moment to see how the younger boy was responding. Choutarou had relaxed and was beginning to regain his normal gentle and calm nature. Shishido sighed in relief.

"Shishido-san, you're telling the truth?"

"Total truth."

Choutarou studied his face. He still kept his eyes locked with Choutarou. He was not shifting or blushing, he was just standing and staring at Choutarou. He was surprised when Shishido suddenly grabbed his shoulders.

"Do you trust me?"

The younger boy was caught off guard with the question. He stared at Shishido for a few moments in silence. Finally, Choutarou was able to smile because he was happy. He also placed his hands on Shishido's shoulders.

"Yes."

Shishido smiled confidently at Choutarou. They were knocked out of their happy moment however when they heard multiple camera noises. Choutarou looked to the side and remembered the other members standing around.

"Oh my."

He noticed that each of the regulars were standing there with their cell phones out and using the camera function.

"Ore-sama must make copies."

Atobe smirked as he reviewed his picture. The others began to look at each other's pictures and compare them.

"Hey, Yuushi, how did yours turn out?"

Gakuto craned his neck to see the prodigy's cell phone screen. They were all trying to decide who took the best picture.

"W-what do you think your going to do!"

Shishido practically shrieked at the tennis captain. Choutarou had to grab Shishido and restrain him. He attempted to calm him down.

"It's okay…It's not that bad, Shishido-san."

"W-why would you make copies!"

Atobe looked at him like he was an idiot.

"It captures such a beautiful and cute moment…You're like the poster children of Hyoutei. Seigaku has their Golden Pair and we have you two."

"So would that make them the Silver Pair or something?"

"Well, it can't be gold, that's already taken...Silver Pair...Sounds catchy. Let's use it!"

Shishido jaw dropped and fell slack in Choutarou's arms. He was stunned at the odd turn of events. The other members were busily deciding what the doubles pair should be called while Choutarou smiled worriedly at Shishido.

"Anou…Shishido-san, are you okay?"

He finally shook his head and tore away from Choutarou. The regulars stuffed their phones in their pockets and ran off in multiple directions laughing. Choutarou just stood there and looked over at Hiyoshi.

"You too, Hiyoshi-san?"

The other boy just cleared his throat, put his phone in his pocket and slowly walked away. Choutarou watched him leave and laughed at the antics of the Hyoutei tennis club. Shishido was trying to steal the phone from Gakuto who was practically doing flips around him.

"Hey! Choutarou, help out here!"

"Okay, Shishido-san!"

As he was running around with Shishido and the others, he felt a wave of relief wash over him.

_"Now this feels right…I'm glad I asked Shishido-san…I may not know the exact reasons behind it, but I'm okay with it now…I…I trust Shishido-san."_

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**A/N:** Chapter 7 is finished! Only a couple more chapters now. This turned out a lot longer than I originally planned…Anyways, this ends any serious stuff I suppose…I still felt like I was writing some sappy romance novel…Oh well, I'm glad how it turned out and now it should be much easier to finish it up. So next chapter, random things that happen while at Atobe's house…mansion…castle…villa…whatever that large of an estate would be called…Warning, more random fluff up ahead. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it!


	8. Appreciated Determination

**A/N:** Her we go, second to last chapter. This one is a little bit longer than my other chapters but I had to finish and tie up some loose ends. Anyhoo, just read and enjoy my random fluff.

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Count on Me

"Everybody…Jiroh…Wake up!"

Choutarou giggled at the tennis captain. He was trying to wake the other boy up but failing miserably.

"Just a few more minutes…"

Atobe closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Kabaji."

"Usu."

Choutarou watched as Kabaji easily hefted Jiroh off the chair. He slowly opened his eyes then began to panic.

"H-hey! Put me down! I'm awake, I'm awake!"

Atobe triumphantly crossed his arms and nodded his head.

"Good. Today, you're all going through a day long tennis camp courtesy of me."

"I don't get it. Why this one day thing?"

Gakuto looked up expectantly at Yuushi who adjusted his glasses.

"I suppose we need to make sure we're ready for the nationals and all that stuff."

Choutarou smiled. He thought it was odd as well, but he did not question it too much since the tennis captain was quite odd. Whenever Atobe did something, he just left it alone. He looked over at Shishido and smiled.

"What do you think, Shishido-san?"

"I don't know. It is Atobe afterall…When does he make sense?'

"True, true."

Choutarou smiled happily. It was the first time that he was able to relax. After the episode yesterday, Choutarou felt relieved and a lot friendlier with Shishido.

"Now here's a schedule of what we'll be doing."

Atobe handed a pile of papers to Jiroh who took one and passed it along. As everybody began to read the itinerary, Jiroh began complaining.

"More running? And around the estate? Are you insane?"

Shishido sighed and Choutarou smiled.

"It does build endurance…"

"You're way too understanding with a guy like Atobe."

"It's better to be understanding and on his good side, then arguing and having him loom in such a menacing manner."

Shishido froze. He looked over at Choutarou who gave him a sweet, innocent smile and pointed behind him. Shishido slowly looked behind.

"A-Atobe…"

The tennis captain was standing imperiously over Shishido and glaring beams of death upon him.

"Ore-sama needs to teach certain members the meaning of respect?"

"It's not like that…I'm just saying…"

"Ore-sama could make you run extra times or…"

Choutarou had to put his hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter. Shishido was sweating bullets as Atobe leaned forward menacingly. Then, he suddenly brightened up and smirked.

"However, ore-sama feels generous on this nice day so you are free…this time."

Choutarou walked up beside Shishido and patted him comfortingly on the back.

"Isn't Atobe-san in a good mood today?"

Shishido sighed in defeat and nodded his head tiredly.

"Yeah…You're right."

"See? It's not so bad."

"Yeah…Not that bad."

Atobe stood in from of the regulars and signaled for them to start running. Everybody took off except for Jiroh who sluggishly ran as every single person passed him.

"Hey, Yuushi! Bet I can beat you around!"

"You're better, but you still can't manage your energy perfectly."

Gakuto paused and looked back at Yuushi defiantly.

"I still am going to beat you."

"Not standing still you can't."

Yuushi calmly observed as he ran past his doubles partner. Gakuto all of a sudden sprinted to catch up with Yuushi.

"I think Oshitari-san is going to beat Mukahi-san. What do you think, Shishido-san?"

He was running along side Shishido who looked up in thought.

"I don't know…Gakuto can be pretty tough when he gets determined…but since he has to catch up with Yuushi, it will take more energy."

"Do you think that's what Oshitari-san't plan is?"

"Probably. I wouldn't put it past him.

They continued to run for a while, keeping a watch as Gakuto was sprinting ahead of Yuushi. Choutarou then looked over his shoulder and noticed Jiroh running with his eyes closed.

"Hey, Shishido-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Akutagawa-san is going to be okay?"

"What? Why?"

Shishido looked behind and noticed Jiroh running, but seemingly sleeping at the same time.

"So…Can you sleep run?"

Choutarou shrugged his shoulders and kept running.

"Apparently you can. Hey, Atobe-san! Should I do something about Akutagawa-san?"

Atobe looked behind and sighed. He ran his hand through his hair and yelled at Jiroh.

"Jiroh, wake up! Don't blame ore-sama if you run into something!"

His comments and warnings fell on deaf ears as Jiroh continued to sleep and run. Atobe and the others shrugged at his incredible ability.

"Ignore him. Now you two, stop lagging behind and get going."

"Yes, Atobe-san."

"Right."

Choutarou sped up along with Shishido. He looked ahead and saw Gakuto furiously tryig to keep the lead with Yuushi following behind at the same exact pace as the beginning.

"Mukahi-san is determined; Oshitari-san is crafty."

"It could go either way."

"You're always good at being objective."

"Huh?'

Shishido looked over at Choutarou questioningly.

"I am?…I guess so, but you can never allow yourself to be swayed by feelings or emotions."

Shishido paused then began blushing much to Choutarou's amusement.

"Well, at least in tennis anyways…Not in everything…Uh…You get what I'm saying?"

"Of course, Shishido-san."

Choutarou saw Shishido sigh under his breath. He smiled internally and kept running until he had an idea.

"Bet I'll beat you to the finish."

Shishido smirked and looked at the younger boy. He nodded his head and smirked.

"You're on."

They both took off at full sprint. Shishido was able to get the head start while Choutarou followed closely behind. After running for a while, Shishido glanced over his shoulder but could not find Choutarou.

"You should pay attention, Shishido-san."

"What? Hey!"

He looked beside him just as Choutarou pulled ahead of him smiling. Soon, he overtook Shishido and was now in the lead.

"Bigger stride."

Choutarou energetically called over his shoulder. Shishido sighed, but then picked up his speed.

"That won't help you for long!"

They continued to running and soon passed by Kabaji who did not even acknowledge them.

_"Wonder where Atobe-san went?"_

Choutarou wondered as he noticed the captain absent from Kabaji's side. As he was thinking, Shishido managed to catch up.

"Better pay attention, Choutarou."

The younger boy looked to the side when he was quoted. Shishido was right there trying to pull into the lead. Soon, he managed to pass Choutarou and take the lead.

_"He's always so determined no matter what he's doing…Hm, that's one of the things I like the most…"_

"However, I'm not going to give up either!"

Choutarou found a new burst of energy and and increased his speed. He soon caught up with Shishido and now they were side by side, neither able to break away.

"Pretty determined, huh?"

Shishido smiled over at Choutarou who gave a bright smile.

"You bet!"

Choutarou looked ahead and saw the finishing point. He put everything into running and when they approached the finish, they were neck and neck, but at the last minute, Choutarou passed Shishido and reached the finish line barely before him.

"I win."

"Yeah, yeah…Heh, good job."

They both sat on the ground to catch their breath. Choutarou looked a short distance away and saw Gakuto lying flat on his back paning.

"Oshitari-san, is Mukahi-san okay?"

The tennis prodigy glanced sideways and shrugged his shoulders casually.

"He's fine…Gakuto is probably just pouting because I won."

Immediately Gakuto's head snapped up and put up a fight.

"No way, I totally beat you."

"When you cross the line after the first person, it means you're second."

Shishido and Choutarou chuckled at the odd argument.

"Shishido-san…That was fun."

"Yeah, it was, wasn't it?"

Soon Hiyoshi and Kabaji finished leaving Atobe and Jiroh.

"I wonder where they are?"

Choutarou looked back questioningly. Shishido stood up and dusted off his pants. He was about to say he would check, but was interrupted by Atobe's voice.

"Ore-sama told you to wake up."

"Well, you could have stopped me before I ran into a tree."

"Ore-sama did try, remember?"

"…Oh, right…You failed, but you did try, didn't you…Hey, thanks Atobe!"

Atobe sighed at Jiroh's suddenly cheerful attitude. The others watched as they approached. Jiroh had a red spot on his forehead and Atobe's uniform was a mess.

"I guess Atobe-san really was concerned about Akutagawa-san."

"Guess so…And I thought Seigaku had a weird friendship thing…"

Choutaoru turned his attention to Atobe and Jiroh. The latter was clinging to the captain who soundly whapped him upside the head.

"Let go of ore-sama!'

"Not only did you help me, but you're also going to play tennis with me also!"

Jiroh seemingly ignored Atobe's attempts to pry the other boy off.

"Don't…get the wrong idea. You're the second seat and if you go injured because you slept while you ran, it would not be beneficial."

"But you're the captain and you risked getting hurt stopping me, so that doesn't make sense."

"…"

"Atobe-san left speechless…This is an interesting day."

Choutarou and the others chuckled. Atobe quickly regained his composure and cleared his throat.

"Right. Now tennis drill and matches."

"Alright. Let's go, Choutarou."

Shishido offered his hand to Choutarou who grabbed if and felt himself helped up.

"Right."

The rest of the day was spent on different aspects of tennis and practice matches. Evening soon came and all the regulars went inside to clean up and have dinner. Choutarou just finished getting dressed and walked towards the dining room. Shishido joined him on the way.

"Everybody else is already waiting. Let's go."

Shishido and Choutarou walked in silence and before they opened the doors to the dining room, Shishido paused.

"Choutarou. Thanks for everything and all the hard work you put into this team."

"Of course, but why-"

He was interrupted as Shishido opened the doors and an explosion of pink and other pastel colors greeted Choutarou. All the other regulars were standing around smiling at him.

"Oh…Wow…Why, is this for me?"

"Of course!"

Shishido excitedly replied. The other regulars nodded. Choutarou was stunned and excited. He never would have thought they would do something so elaborate.

"Thank you, everybody…But why?"

Jiroh bounded up to him and grinned.

"'Cause you deserve it!"

"It's a little way for us to thank you for always putting everything into this team."

Choutarou smiled and laughed.

"The decorations are so pretty. Shishido-san, was this part of the reason you were so spastic the last week?"

Shishido blushed furiously and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah…And I know, I know…I probably should have gone about it another way, but you know…I just wanted it to be perfect."

"I love it."

Atobe sauntered up to them and placed his hands on their shoulders.

"As ore-sama has said before, 'Shishido is dense", but he means well. All of this was his idea for you."

Shishido continued to blush and fidget uncomfortably. The others milled around and took in all the surroundings.

"Why are there so many flowers?"

Gakuto walked around the room observing the seemingly countless array of flowers. Shishido sighed and looked sideways at the tennis captain.

"I asked if you could pick up some decorations or flowers…Not buy out the Tokyo Botanical Garden…"

"If you're going to do something, don't do it half-way."

"Oh right, Choutarou, I got something for you."

Choutarou looked surprised as he thought that the party for him was surprise enough. Shishido ran to a chair at the table and grabbed a box. Choutarou instantly recognized the odd shape of the box.

"Here you go. This is why I missed that first practice."

He handed the box over to Choutarou who looked inside and began laughing.

"Shishido-san actually went to Build-A-Bear? You must really care to suffer through that."

"No kidding. They made me do all these really weird things and it was just…weird…but I wanted to get something kind of unique so…yeah, I got this for you."

Choutarou examined the stuffed toy. It was a simple, overstuffed brown bear ironically wearing the same outfit that he picked out for Shishido's bear. What he noticed the most though, was the little hat placed backwards on its head and a little white bandage over where its eyebrows would be.

"Thank you so much, Shishido-san! I love it! It looks just like you."

Shishido began blushing once again and chuckled nervously. Atobe and the others came over and examined it. The tennis captain grinned evilly and took advantage of Shishido's discomfort.

"How sweet. Now Ootori has a matching bear. Honestly, ore-sama can imagine him with a stuffed bear, but seeing Shishido sleep and cuddle with a stuffed bear seems odd."

Shishido made a noise akin to gasping and a squeak. Choutarou looked surprised at Shishido along with everybody else.

"You do?"

"Uh…I uh…"

Choutarou began to laugh and gave a huge smile.

"I'm so glad!"

"Touching and all, but back to the point…You sleep and cuddle with a stuffed bear?"

Yuushi adjusted his glasses in a curious manner. All eyes were turned on Shishido. He blushed and glared at Atobe.

"Hey! How did you know!"

"Ore-sama has ways."

"So you do sleep and cuddle with a stuffed bear…Fascinating."

Choutarou laughed and had a great time at the dinner party. People continually hassled Shishido about the stuffed bear while others kept passing around a large glossy photo of the two and the dramatic moment captured on camera phones. At last, the party ended and the regulars began to disperse to their rooms.

"Thank you so much, Shishido-san! I'm so happy."

"I'm glad you liked it…Hey, Choutarou."

"Yes?"

Shishido walked over to Choutarou and looked him straight in the eye.

"I'm sorry if the last week has been hard on you…I'm glad you're happy now…But you know, you shouldn't leave all those emotions bottled up inside all the time or you're going to stress out and blow up…Well, what I'm saying is, you don't have to…I…You…You can count on me!"

"Thank you…Thank you so much…Shishido-san…"

Shishido nodded and smiled.

"Any time."

For that moment, Choutarou felt light as a feather and walked with Shishido down the hall towards their room.

_"All of this was for me…Shishido-san did this for me…Because he does care…We are friends…I know, now…I can be who I am with him…I'm so glad…I know…I know that I can…always rely and believe in him. 'You can count on me'…Yes…I will do that…Shishido-san…Thank you…"_

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**A/N:** Well, that about sums it up except for one last chapter. It's basically going to be Choutarou's essay he had to write for his English class. It's quite obvious of course who he decided to write about . Sorry if this was such a long chapter. I just figured I wanted to sum everything up here so I can leave a whole chapter to the essay part and no, the essay won't be that long…It's not like I'm just giddy over writing more essays than I have to… Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the story!


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